1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording device.
2. Related Art
Hitherto, as a kind of recording device, there has been an ink jet printer (hereinafter, referred to as a “printer”). In such a printer, the uppermost paper is taken out of a paper feeding cassette (hereinafter, referred to as a “cassette”) in which a plurality of stacked recording media (for example, printing papers, hereinafter, referred to as “paper”) is disposed, and the paper is fed sheet by sheet to a recording portion (printing portion), whereby printing is performed.
This type of printer is provided with an installation portion for installing a cassette and a paper feeding roller for feeding papers. When the cassette in which a plurality of papers is stacked is installed in the installation portion, the paper feeding roller is then rotated, whereby a paper feeding operation is performed in which the uppermost paper disposed in the cassette is taken out of the cassette and fed to a printing portion side.
When a user installs the cassette in the installation portion, in the side of a surface abutting the end portion in the installation direction of the papers accommodated in the cassette, there is formed a separation slope for guiding a plurality of sheets of papers accommodated in the cassette to the recording portion side while separating the papers sheet by sheet. However, if the user installs the cassette strongly, the papers ride on the separation slope in some cases. In this case, the plurality of sheets of papers cannot be separated sheet by sheet, which leads to double feeding of paper. The double feeding of paper leads to a concern over the occurrence of problems such as a paper jam.
Meanwhile, a method of gently installing the cassette is also considered to prevent the paper from riding on the separation slope; however, in this case, the user would become unnecessarily cautious, thus this is not preferable. Moreover, even when the cassette is gently installed, the papers ride on the separation slope in many cases.
For example, in Japanese Patent No. 3538569, there is provided a shutter member descending from a retraction position in the upper side to restrict the end portion of a paper-feeding side. When the shutter member ascends to the retraction position in the upper side, the lower end portion thereof is caused to rotate toward the upstream side in a paper feeding direction. As a result, it is possible to align the papers in a slanted state where the papers are positioned in the paper feeding direction in order, as the end portion of each paper abutting on the shutter member becomes the upper side.
However, in the Japanese Patent No. 3538569, the shutter member is caused to rotate and slide to the retraction position. Therefore, it is necessary to make a space for providing a rotation mechanism and a slide mechanism. Furthermore, it is necessary to make a space for accommodating the shutter member, the rotation mechanism and the slide mechanism in the retraction position. As a result, the device is scaled up.
Hence, for example, a method is implemented in which a restriction surface for restricting paper movement and a rotating stopper member are provided to restrict the paper movement when the restriction surface is in a direction crossing the separation slope and to release the restriction on the paper movement when the restriction surface retreats from the separation slope due to the rotation of the stopper member. This method makes it unnecessary to make the space for accommodating the stopper member, the rotation mechanism and the slide mechanism in the retraction position.
As a power source for rotating the stopper member, there is used a force which is generated when the user carries the cassette loaded with papers and installs it by pushing it into the installation portion of the printer in the installation direction and is applied to the cassette. The installation portion of the printer includes a power transmission unit transmitting the power for rotating the stopper member, and the cassette includes a protruding portion protruding to the installation portion to abut on an abutting portion of the power transmission unit. Accordingly, since the protruding portion should be provided in the cassette, the length of the cassette is elongated in the installation direction, which causes a problem that the cassette cannot be made small.